Tttew-tablei



UNITED sTATEs ,PATENT oEErcE.

JACOB o. RQBIE, or BINGHAMTON, NEw'YoRK.

l TURN-TABLE Specification forming part of VLetters Patent No. 11,532; dated-August-l, 1854; Reissued' May 5',

` i n 18557, No.- 460:

To` all whom it may Vconcern Be it. known that I, JACOB C, ROBIE, of Binghamton, inthe county of Broome and State of New Yorlr,`have invented certain new and` useful;` Improvements in Turn- Tables for Railroads;` and I do hereby declare that the following. is; a full, clear, and

i responding parts` in` the several figures.

The; object of this inventionis to construct a turnftable which shall possess ,the same strength and stability as the turn-tables in` commonuse, butfmaybe constructed ata less cost;` and which ,will` require a` comparatively small, and` therefore, less costly foundation.`

The invention4 consistsfin balancing the platformlof the turntable upon the revolvingroller carriage` which; supports. it, in

suchY a manner` thaft,either` end of the said platform may be .depressed` to rest upon a` bed, `or bearingprovided` for it,` while it receives, or hasd'ischarged from it, an` engine and, tender, or any car, and',l in furnishing the turn-table `between the rollercarriage and platform, on opposite sides of the center, with` eccentrics which are so arranged, and can be so` operatedLs to support the platform on a level previous to turning it, andV holding itsteady in such position during-its revolution; or, to raiseV one endand depress theV other, upon its bearings, when `it1is`` d e-` sired to receive or discharge the engine and tender, 01', car. i

It also consists ini furnishing the turntable `with an indicator, which` will show the engine` driver,` or` any other person, when theA platform iseXactly on a level, or in which` direction it inclines, and thereby serve` asa guide by which to move the engine and tender, or car-upon the platform, to such a4 position, astoA hold the platform in equipQiSe., or on a-,levelL side ofthe table.

`The platform ofthis turn-table lis constructed in asimilar manner to, that of some others now in, use, beingcomposed ofv longitudinal timbers, A, A, andties or sills, B, B, which` are` secured below them, by bolts, a, a, and` plates, b, @running longitudinally under the sills. The sills form the p floor upon which the rails, e, e, are laid.` The platform is. stayed to prevent deflection, by tension rods, 0, c, which are attached to ears, (Z, (L whichstand up from the plates,

(9 Z5,`on either side ofthe-:longitudinal timbers, and topillars, 0,0, which are erected Y upon the longitudinal timbers near the center. It is further strengthened at' the center, by short longitudinal timbers, D,- D, which reolted. under the timbers, A, A, and sills,

Atransversehorizontal shaft, E, of Eiron, is placed under the center-of the platform, and `its ends secured firmly in the` longitudi- 'nal timbers forming thel sidesv of the' platform., The platform forms a` balance, of which this shaft is the axis.` The shaft is supported alongthe whole of its length between the sides of the platform, or at suit-- able" intervals in a bearing, F, running` across the centeror aXis of the roller carriage,.j and itf supports two bearings, Gr, G, for the rails, @,le.

The roller carriage consists of ftheV bottom and top plates, H, H; a center pin, Jgt-heA two rings, I",`I;the rollers, K, K; and their axles, f, f; The bottom and top plates in axturntable` of the largestnsize to carry an' engine and' tender, sayrfrom` forty (40) to fortyfive (45)* feet in length or diameter, will notgrequire to be-of-l more-thang eight (8),

3 feet in` diameter. The bottom plate, H, has two circular raisedtracks,` g, g, andA is bored to receive the centerpin,V J. a foundation of masonry about three (3) `feet below the level ofthe rails, e., e. This foundation will be very small, compared with.. the foundation ofthe track usually provided for rollers, near the ends or out- The rollers, K, K,l areiitted loosely upon their axles, f, f, with a collar-M between each pair; and the axles` It rests upon support. the two rings, I", I, which. keep them at proper distances from a common verticalaxisto runY on the tracks, g, g, and` keep` the several' pairs at proper distances from each other. The inner ring, I", is connected with a central plate, L, which is bored through the center for the center pin, J, to pass through, and keep the two rings concentric with the axis on which the table rotates; or, instead of having the central plate, the ring, I', may be connected by arms with a hub. The top plate, H', is Aof the same-size as the bottom plate, H, and has two similar circular tracks, g, g, on its I under side, which rest upon the rollers. The

center pin, J, is firmly secured by keying or otherwise, to the top plate, H', and passes through the plate, L, and the bottom plate, H; the lattery having a deep hub, z', in order to give the pin a deep guide. The bearing, F for the shaft, E, of the platform, rests upon, and is secured by bolts, or other means, to the top plate, H', and is so placed,

, tween Z, Z, and shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, islarger than the other portion, and made eccentric to the journals, as shown in Figs. l, and 2, where the section is taken through the eccentric portion, and the journals are shown by dotted circles. Upon the top side of the upper roller plate, H', there are two raised pieces, m, m, which form bearings for the eccentric portions of the shafts, M, M',y to rest upon. Each of the shafts, M, M', is furnished, outside the platform, with a lever, n, by which it can be turned to bring that side of the eccentric portion which is farthest from its axis, undermost, as shown at M, in Fig. l, and thus coming in contact with its bearing, m, on the top roller plate, elevate that end of the platform which is on the same side of the shaft, E; or, it can be turned to such a position, as shown: at M', in the same figure, that it willnot, when that end of the platform on the same side of the shaft, E, is depressed to its vlowest position, touch the bearing on the roller plate.

The depressed end of the platform always rests upon bearing pieces, N, N, of which, two are provided to receive either end in all the positions the turn-table is required to assume. These bearings may consist of heavy timbers resting upon foundations of masonry, or may be constructed in any other suitable manner; and they should be so placed as to support the platform under the rails. The object of these is to obviate all lateral strain upon the roller, or center pin, when the platform receives its load. The drawing represents, in Fig. 3, two sets of these bearingsone set being shown in perfect outline, and the other set, in dotted outline, supposed to be seen through the platform; the two sets being arranged to bring the turn-table in line with rail tracks at right angles with each other, and either set serving for two positions of the turn-table, the reverse of each other.

The turn-table is caused to rotate, in a well known way, by means of a pinion, 0, which is secured on a vertical shaft, p, attached to the platform, and gears wit-h a circular toothed rack, g, which is secured to the foundation work..

The indicator, which shows when the platform is exactly in equipoise, or on avlevel, consists of an index pointer, 1, whose horizontal arbor works in suitable bearings in a box, R, which is supported by a pillar, Q, standing on one side of the platform. The axis of this arbor stands in an imaginary line, which is perpendicular to the platform, and passes through the axis of the shaft, E.

The arbor carries a small toothed wheel S,

(shown dotted in Figs. l, and 2,) which gears with a toothed sector, t, on the top of a small pillar, P, which is erected on a standard, T, secured to the top roller plate, H. The toothed sector is described from the axis of the shaft, E, s'o that as the platform oscillates, it always remains in gear with the wheel, and turns the arbor, and moves the index. The index is so adjusted, that when the platform is on a level, it stands in a vertical position; but, when the platform is not on a level, it will point toward the highest end, and thus show the way in lwhich it is necessary to move the engine or carriage, in order to bring the platform to a state' of equipoise.

When an `engine or car is to be run on the turn-table, the shaft, M, or M', which is nearest the end where the engine or carv is to be run on, is turned by its lever to such aposition, that the eccentric part cannot touch its bearing, m, on the top roller plate, H', as indicated at M'. The other shaft is turned to bring the eccentric part in contact with its bearing, m, and raise the other end of the table, until the first named end is-depressed far enough to rest on the bearing pieces, N, N; and in this position, indicated at, M, in Fig. 1, it is allowed to remain until the engine or car is run on the table, when it is moved to a position corresponding to that of the shaft, M', in the same figure, to allow the platform to be balanced. When the engine or car is brought to the proper position to bringthe platform to a state of equipoise, the two shafts, M, and M', are moved to the positions shown in Fig. 2, to bring their ece centric portions into contact with the bearings, 17?, on the top of the roller plate, and

thus give support to the platform on opmay then be turned in any direction. When it is desired to run olf the engine or car, the support of the eccentric on that side of the shaft, E, from which it is to be run oif, is removed by turning the shaft, M, or l to such a position, that the eccentric cannot touch its bearing, m, which leaves that end of the platform free to fall, when the load is moved toward it.

The rails, m, of the turn-table, and the rails of the track are so arranged relatively to each other, that the depressed ends of the former are always at the same level as the latter, and will bear on their chairs when the platform rests on the bearing pieces, N, N. The distance of the oscillation of the platform is somewhat exaggerated in Figs. l, and 2, in order to make the operation moreclearly intelligible by the drawings. The actual distance of the oscillation of the ends of the platform, from their positions when in equipoise, need not be more than three quarters of an inch, or an inch, in a full sized turn-table, as it is only necessary that the ends of the table rise far enough from the bearing pieces, N, N, to enable them to swing perfectly free, without any danger of contact.

What I claim as new and useful, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is`

l. Balancing the platform of the turntable upon a transverse central shaft (E) or other suitable axis resting upon the roller carriage in a line intersecting the line of the axis upon which the turn-table rotates, in such a manner that, the table, when in a horizontal position, is elevated or has its rails above those of the track, to admit of the free swing of the table over its under su ports or bearings (N), and sothat, the ta le may be rocked with facility from its center or tilted to brin the ends of its rails on either side of the l(balancing shaft into line or level with the rails of the track substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

2. I also claim the manner herein described of holding the table steady at its horizontal set while rotating, and tilting or depressing it on either side of the balancing axle E) when required, by means of the cams M) arranged to bear upon the roller carriage and operating in connection with the roller carriage and table as herein set forth.

JACOB C. ROBIE.

Witnesses:

S. H. WALES, JNO. W. IE[.1.1.MIL'roN.`

[FIRST PRINTED 1913.] i 

